Always There
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Callen has spent years looking for his real family. What happens when he discovers that part of it was right in front of his nose for many years? Will he embrace his new family or after so many years of being alone, will he push them away?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or any of its characters. **

**Always There**

Eric walked into the squad room carrying two coffees and a box of donuts. He immediately spotted Callen and Sam by Callen's desk and went over to them. "Hey guys. Coffee?"

"Wow. Thanks, Eric," Callen said before taking one of the coffees.

"I got donuts too. There's a whole assortment there. Jelly, chocolate covered, glazed," Eric parroted off. He knew he was laying it on pretty thick, but he needed to for what he was about to ask the two agents to do.

Kensi and Deeks looked at each other and then at Eric. "What are we, chopped liver?" Kensi asked.

"Coffee and Donuts? Oh, he wants something," Sam said with a smirk.

"What? No, I just wanted to do something nice for you guys. I figured you deserved it after all those times you've saved the day," Eric said with an innocent smile plastered all over his face.

"He wants something alright. Something big," Callen agreed with his partner.

"Out with it Eric," Sam said as he grabbed a jelly donut and took a bite.

Eric sighed. "Okay, so here's the thing. My father's coming to town this weekend and I may have misled him when telling him what I do."

"Misled him how?" Kensi asked curiously.

"I may have told him I work for some top notch computer company," Eric said.

"That doesn't seem like misleading. It seems like lying," Callen said.

"Okay, so I lied, but it was for a good reason. If I had told my dad I worked for a government agency, he would've had a heart attack," Eric said.

Kensi gave him a look. "You're exaggerating."

"No, I'm not. My dad is extremely overprotective. You see, before I was born, my father was married before. His wife was some kind of agent and she and their two kids were killed," Eric explained. His father hadn't told him much about his first family. Eric didn't even know their names. But he had managed to find out their fate.

"Oh, that's horrible," Kensi said feeling very bad for her friend and his family.

"Yeah. So you can see the kind of reaction he would have to his only surviving son working in a place like this," Eric said.

"But you don't do field work. You're in Ops. most of the time," Deeks pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. It would still freak him out. And while I don't want to concede to his fear, I don't want to needlessly cause him worry," Eric said.

"So you lie," Kensi surmised

"Yeah. He's never come to LA before, so it's not really an issue," Eric said.

"I'm still not seeing what it is you want from us," Sam said as he grabbed another donut.

"Well, my dad wants to see where I work," Eric stated.

"Just say he can't. That we don't allow outsiders. It's not a lie," Callen said. No one outside of NCIS was allowed at their office because the work they did was very sensitive and very dangerous.

"I did, but my dad's stubborn. He kept telling me how stupid it was and he threatened to just show up. And that would be fine if I actually worked for a computer company, but I don't. So instead, I told him I'd introduce him to a couple of my colleagues," Eric said.

"Oh, come on! You didn't," Sam groaned.

"Sorry. It was out of my mouth before I could stop myself," Eric said apologetically.

"So basically, you want us to go with you to see your dad and help you continue to lie to him," Callen summarized.

"Yes. Come on, it'll be just like a case. Undercover work," Eric said.

"Hey, why them and not us?" Kensi asked as she tried to decide whether or not to be insulted.

"Because I thought it would be easier to convince them than you and I was worried Deeks would say something inappropriate in an attempt to be funny," Eric explained.

"Hey!" exclaimed Deeks.

Sam laughed. "What like it aint true?"

Eric looked back at Sam and Callen. "What do you say?"

"I say you should man up and tell your dad the truth," Callen said as drank his coffee.

"I second that," Sam said.

"Come on, guys, please. Just one hour. Please," Eric begged.

Callen and Sam looked at each other and then Callen looked back at Eric. "One hour?"

Eric nodded his head vigorously.

"Alright, but you owe us more than donuts for this," Callen said.

"Anything! Thank you so much, guys," Eric said excitedly before going over to Sam as if to hug him.

Sam held him back with his hand. "Whoa. Don't go there."

"Right, sorry. Thank you so much. You won't regret it," Eric said before practically bouncing up the stairs to the Ops. Center.

Callen turned to Sam. "We're gonna regret this, aren't we?"

"Probably."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few days later, Sam and Callen drove up to a small café in LA. They parked the car and quickly got out. "Why'd we agree to this again?" Sam asked.

"Because Eric was begging like a little puppy and it was frankly very sad to watch," Callen said.

"Oh, right," Sam said. He then spotted Eric standing with a man with dirty blond hair by the entrance.

Eric spotted them as well. "Oh, here they are. Sam, G!"

Sam and Callen immediately made their way over.

"Dad, this is Sam and G. Guys, this is my father, Garret Beal," Eric introduced.

Callen stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the man. His face struck an instant feeling of déjà vu. He didn't know how, but he was sure he'd seen this man before somewhere.

"Yo, G, you okay?" Sam asked.

Callen finally came out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I got lost in thought for a minute there."

"It happens to the best of us. Shall we go inside?" Garrett asked.

"Yeah, we'll be right there," Sam said. He knew that something was up with his partner and he wanted to find out what it was.

Garrett nodded and motioned for Eric to follow him inside.

Once they were gone, Sam turned to Callen. "What's up, man? What happened?"

"I know that guy, Sam," Callen said. This was not just a feeling like he knew the man. He did know him. He had seen him before.

"Eric's father? How?" Sam asked. That didn't make sense. How would G know Eric's old man? None of them had met him before.

"I don't know. I don't know how I know him. I don't know where I know him from. But I know him."


	2. Chapter 2

Callen, Sam, and Eric sat at a table in the café with Eric's father. "So it's good to finally meet some of the people Eric works with. I must say though, getting information about what you guys do is like pulling a tooth out. He talks about you lot all the time, but never about what you do. And you should've seen how he reacted when I wanted to come to your work," Garrett said.

"Yeah, our boss is a bit paranoid. He thinks if outsiders are allowed in, they'll uncover sensitive material," Sam said truthfully. The only thing that wasn't so true was the paranoid part. It wasn't paranoia when they were out to get you.

"Sensitive material? You work for a computer company."

"Well, our competitors are always trying to uncover our new technologies and use it to one up us," Sam said.

Garrett nodded.

"So Mr. Beal, have you ever been to LA before?" Callen asked as he tried ascertain where he might have seen this man before.

"Garrett, please. And, no, I've never been here before. I've talked to my son about me visiting before, but he always comes up with an excuse for me not to come. Not this time though. I wasn't hearing it," Garrett said firmly.

Eric chuckled nervously. "Well, I've been busy, Dad. I just didn't want you to make the trip just to sit an apartment by yourself."

Callen took a sip of his coffee as he continued to contemplate where he knew Garrett from. It obviously wasn't LA, as the man had never been here before. Honestly, it could be anywhere. Callen had been all over the place. Something told Callen it was important that he found out. He couldn't put his finger on it, but somehow he just knew it was important.

Garrett looked at Callen. "So it's G, right? That's short for something, right? Do you not like your name or something?"

Eric cleared his throat hoping his father would get the message to drop it. Callen was very touchy when it came to the subject of his name. Mostly because he didn't know what it was, and given that most if not all of his family was dead, he probably never would.

Callen stiffened a bit. He wasn't unused to the question, but no matter how many times it was asked, it still bothered him. "It's complicated."

Garrett nodded. "Say no more. I get complicated."

Callen plastered a fake smile across his face. "So tell us about yourself, Garrett. Have you ever traveled?"

Eric snickered. "Are you kidding? He's never Pennsylvania his entire life until now."

Callen's focus was on Garrett. The man's eyes were on his coffee. He wasn't meeting their eyes or Eric's. It was obvious that was a lie he'd fed his son. Though it was obvious to Callen anyway. He'd seen this man somewhere and it wasn't in Pennsylvania because he'd never been there.

Sam looked at his partner's suspicious eyes and then at his watch. "Wow, I didn't know it was so late. We gotta go. Eric may not have to work today, but we do."

They all stood up. "Well, it was nice meeting you both," Garrett said before shaking Sam's hand and then holding it out to Callen.

Callen looked at Garrett's hand for a minute before shaking it. "You too."

"Maybe we can meet again someday," Garrett said.

"I think that's a guarantee," Callen said before walking away.

Sam followed him. "You okay?"

Callen opened the door to the café and led the way outside. "You see the look on his face when Eric said his dad had never traveled before. He was lying."

"So the old man probably stepped out on his wife or something. It aint exactly moral, but it's not our business either. Is this about him having a familiar face?" Sam asked.

"It's not just a familiar face. I know him," Callen said for certain as they made it to the car.

Sam stopped as soon as he reached the driver's side. "I didn't lie back there, did I? We are going to work, aren't we?"

"Yep," Callen said before sliding in the passenger's seat.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do?" Nell asked Callen. He and Sam had shown up a few minutes ago and Callen was asking her to look in the past of Eric's father.

"Nell, I need to know everything there is to know about this guy. He's hiding something," Callen said.

"He's Eric's father. How am I supposed to explain digging into his dad's life?" Nell asked. If felt like she'd be betraying Eric by doing this. He wouldn't be happy to know they were digging up his father's past behind his back.

"If you don't find anything, you won't have to explain anything," Callen reasoned.

"And if I do?" Nell questioned.

"Then it's better he knows, isn't it?" Callen asked. While a big part of this was that he wanted to know how he knew Garrett Beal, but he was also concerned for his friend and what whatever this was might mean for him.

Nell sighed and went over to her computer. "Garrett Beal you said his name was?"

"Yeah. Eric says he's from Pennsylvania, born and raised," Callen said.

"Okay. Give me a couple hours and I should be able to come up with something. I'll do a search myself and then I'll call in some favors in the State Department if I have to," Nell said as she typed away at the computer.

Callen nodded before he and Sam left the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

About three hours later, Nell was on the phone when Callen and Sam walked in. "Are you sure? Okay. Yeah, send it over. Bye."

"What's up?" Callen asked.

"That was one of the favors I called in. On paper, Garrett Beal seems every bit what he told you. He was an architect in Pittsburg for over thirty-five years and according to his birth certificate he was born in a small town not too far from where he lives now," Nell said.

"But…" Callen prompted.

"It was all very convincing, but it's fake. The birth Certificate was forged. Aside from the last thirty three and a half decades, all of it was made up. My contact tried to find real credentials under that name, but there aren't any. I don't know who this guy is, but he's not Garrett Beal. Because Garrett Beal doesn't exist."


	3. Chapter 3

After a few moments of letting the information sink in, Callen finally spoke. "Are you sure about this, Nell?" He had expected to find out that some of what Garrett had told them to be lies, but he didn't expect the man's entire identity to be a lie.

"Positive. My contact is good. She's sending me the information, but I have no doubt that she was accurate," Nell said.

"What about Eric? Are we sure he's who we think he is?" Sam asked. It wasn't that he thought Eric was lying too because he didn't. It could be that Garrett had stolen him or something. Kidnapping a kid was one reason to change your identity.

"My friend had Eric's birth certificate examined as well. It's genuine. When it's all said and done, his last name might not be legal, as his father's isn't, but Eric is Garrett Beal's son. Or whoever he is," Nell said.

Sam looked at his partner. "Well, it looks like you were right, G. There is definitely something wrong with this guy."

"Unfortunately, this leaves us with more questions than answers. Before I just wanted to know how I knew him and why he'd lied to his son about his past. Now we've opened up a whole new can of worms," Callen said. He really didn't think it would be this complicated. He thought Garrett had just lied to Eric and that his past would somehow reveal their connection. That turned out to be a big joke.

"Nine out of ten, this guy's got a record," Sam said. That was the only reason he could see for someone to change their identity. Hell, the guy might even be a wanted fugitive. "I'd say that's how you know him, G, but…"

"But he didn't even give me a second look," Callen finished for him. Garrett hadn't recognized him one bit. He'd acted like he was a perfect stranger and no one was that good at lying.

"Right. You may know him, but hasn't got the slightest clue who you are," Sam said.

"So what do we do now?" Nell asked.

"We gotta figure out who he really is. Not just for us, but for Eric too. He needs to know the truth about his father," Callen said.

"We have to bring him in," Sam said. He hated saying it. The idea of arresting his friend's father was not on the list of things he wanted to do, but there was no way around it.

"Whoa, aren't we jumping the gun a little? We don't know anything about this guy yet," Nell said.

"Exactly. If we went to Hetty right now and told her everything, she'd want us to bring him in. Add the fact that I recognize him with everything else, she'd demand it. You know that," Callen said

Nell sighed. She did know that. At the very least, she'd want to make sure Eric's father couldn't compromise Callen's cover. "Okay, but you should at least talk to Eric first. He deserves that much."

Sam nodded. "You're right. Eric needs to know. But he is not going to be happy."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"You did what?!" Eric asked angrily. After insisted he come in, Sam and Callen had told him how they'd investigated his father's past. "I asked you to meet my dad, not to spy on him!"

"Hey. Come on, Eric, you know me. Do you really think I'd spy just to spy," Callen said.

"Then why did you?!"

"Because from the moment I saw him, I knew something wasn't right. Eric, this is not the first time I've met your father," Callen said.

"What? You've met my dad before? Where?" Eric asked surprised.

"I don't know," Callen said sort of lamely.

"Well, when did you meet?" Eric asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? You say you've met my father, but you can't tell me how, when, or where? Do I have that right?" Eric asked.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I do know him from somewhere. I can't put my finger on it, but I do," Callen said.

"Look, even if the two of you did happen to cross paths somewhere over the years, it doesn't make my dad a criminal and it doesn't give you the right to investigate him," Eric said.

"That doesn't make him a criminal, but the fact that he's been lying about who he is does," Callen said.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked in confusion.

Nell was the one to answer. "Eric, I had a friend of mine gather the information about your dad."

"You were a part of this too?" Eric asked feeling doubly betrayed. He was hurt by the others doing this, but Nell being involved was worse. He was closer to her than the rest. He had to be with how closely they worked together. He couldn't believe she would do this to him.

"Look, I know you're mad, but just listen for a minute. You're dad… He's not who he claims to be," Nell said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eric asked.

"Your father wasn't born and raised in Pennsylvania. His name isn't even Garrett Beal," Callen said.

"What?" Eric asked in utter confusion. This made no sense. Of course his father was Garrett Beal. Unless they were saying his father wasn't his father. Were they trying to tell him he was adopted or something?

"Everything about your dad before the last thirty-five years or so is forged. Even his birth certificate," Nell said.

"T…that's not possible. My father is Garrett Beal," Eric said.

"No, man, he's not. Garrett Beal doesn't exist," Sam said as gently as he could.

"No! My dad has no reason to lie. He's not a criminal. He's an architect for God's sake," Eric said shakily. He'd passed anger now and switched it with confusion and fear. Confusion on what was going on and fear of the answer.

"That may be who he is now, but he wasn't always. Every aspect of his life before he surfaced in Pittsburg was orchestrated," Callen said.

Eric paced for a minute and then interlocked his hands behind his head. "B…but why would he lie? What possible reason could there be?"

"That's what we're going to have to ask him," Sam said.

Eric's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Are you talking about arresting my father?"

"Not arresting, questioning. For now, we'll just bring him to the boat shed and have a talk," Callen said.

Eric shook his head vigorously. "No, let me talk to him. He's my dad. He'll tell me the truth if I ask him."

Callen shook his head sadly. "You know it doesn't work that way. We have to bring him in and do this the right way."

"He's right, Mr. Beal."

They all jumped and turned around to come face to face with Hetty. "Hetty, how long have you been here? I didn't even think you were here," Callen said.

"I'm always here, Mr. Callen. Call Miss Blye and Mr. Deeks. Have them bring him in. He doesn't need to know the two of you are NCIS just yet," Hetty said.

"Hetty, please," Eric said pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Beal. There is no choice," Hetty said.

Eric sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. Hetty had spoken. He knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind.

"I'll go call Kensi and Deeks," Callen said. He gave Eric an apologetic look and then left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Kensi and Deeks pulled into Eric's apartment building parking lot and got out of the car. "This feels wrong," Kensi said. She knew Garrett Beal, or whoever the hell he really was, had committed at least one crime, probably more, but he was still Eric's father and it felt like going after him was like going after Eric.

"Eric knows what we're doing," Deeks said.

"That doesn't make me feel better for arresting his father," Kensi said.

"Not arresting, detaining. There's a difference," Deeks said as they walked towards the apartments.

"Not much of one," Kensi said.

Just then, they saw a man with dirty blond hair who looked to be in his sixties come out of the building and head for a car a few feet away. Deeks took out his phone and looked at a picture Eric sent to him. "Hey, that's him."

Kensi led the way towards the man. "Garrett Beal?"

Garrett turned to them and immediately stiffened. He didn't know who these people were, but they knew his name and seemed to want more than just directions or to sell something. Then he noticed that the man had a gun attached to his belt. Garrett panicked and did the only thing he could think to. He ran.

"Stop!" Kensi yelled as she and Deeks started chasing him.

They chased him out of the parking lot and across the street, nearly getting run over in the process, before Deeks finally managed to tackle him to the ground. "Damn, for an old guy, he runs pretty fast. Cuffs."

Kensi immediately handed her partner a pair of handcuffs and watched as he handcuffed the man. "I think I feel better about doing this now."

"Uh huh," Deeks said before pulling Garrett up and leading him back to their car.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"I thought you said you weren't going to arrest him!" Eric said angrily. He'd just walked into the boat shed and saw his father being situated in the interrogation room. Kensi had just taken a pair of handcuffs off of him.

"Kensi said he ran. They had no choice," Callen said.

"Why?" Eric asked. He wasn't really asking anyone in the room. He was just thinking out loud. He was trying to figure out why his dad had done all the things he'd done over the years. None of this computed with the man he grew up with.

"Why does anybody do it?" Sam asked.

"My father isn't everybody," Eric said before turning to the monitor to watch the interrogation.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"I didn't do anything wrong," Garrett said. Okay, so that wasn't completely true. He did run from federal agents, but in his defense, he hadn't figured out that they were cops. He ran on instinct. He saw a gun and he freaked. People with guns hadn't been kind to him or his family in the past.

"You ran from the police," Kensi said.

"I didn't know you were cops. You didn't identify yourselves," Garrett said.

"You didn't give us the chance. And if you didn't know we were cops, why run?" Deeks asked.

Garrett didn't answer his question. Instead he asked one of his own. "Why were you looking for me?"

"We'll ask the questions, Mr. Beal, or whoever you are," Deeks said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Garrett asked nervously.

"We know your name's not really Garrett Beal," Kensi said.

"That's ridiculous."

Kensi ignored him and continued as though he never spoke. "We know that because no such person exists."

"I assure you, I exist," Garrett said.

"Of course you do, but not as Garrett Beal. You didn't exist as him until over thirty years ago. We have all your legal document, or the ones you had forged I should say," Kensi said.

Garrett didn't say a word. Inside he was panicking though. This was the last thing he needed. No one could find out his true identity. It would put himself and everyone around him in danger, particularly, Eric, and he couldn't let that happen. He would be damned if he buried another son.

"In my experience people don't lie about their identities unless they're running, usually it's from the law. Is that the case with you?" Kensi asked.

Again Garrett didn't answer.

"You might as well tell us who you are now. We're going to find out anyway," Kensi told him.

No response.

"Do you realize that forging legal documents is a felony? You could spend years in prison for this," Deeks told him.

Garrett shifted his gaze to the detective and glared. "You think I give a rat's ass about going to prison?"

Kensi was a bit surprised by the comment, but hid it well. "So it's not the law you're running from. What then?"

Garrett went back to not responding.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Eric breathed a sigh of relief from the other room. "You see, he didn't do anything wrong."

"He didn't say that, Eric," Sam said.

"He said he doesn't care about going to jail. This isn't about a crime he committed," Eric said.

"Even if it's not, he's still hiding something. And if he's not afraid of us, he's afraid of someone much worse. That's not good for anybody, including you," Callen said seriously. If Garrett had an enemy that was bigger than them, it was possible that whoever it was would go after Eric in retaliation.

Just then, Kensi and Deeks came out. "He won't budge. Whatever it is he's running from has him scared and I think it's pretty clear that it isn't us," Kensi said.

Eric got up from his chair. "I gotta talk to him. He'll tell me."

"I don't think he will, Eric. I mean, if he hasn't told you already, what makes you think he will now? Your dad is scared. He's not going to talk," Kensi said.

"I disagree with you, Miss Blye," Hetty said as she entered the room.

"How does she do that?" Deeks whispered to Kensi. Even after working with Hetty for years, he still hadn't figured out how she managed to show up when she was least expected.

"It's simply a matter of motivation. I believe it's time I speak to Mr. Beal," Hetty said before heading for the Interrogation room. She hadn't interrogated anyone in a long time, but this man was connected to two of her agents. That deserved her personal attention.

"When's the last time Hetty interrogated someone?" Deeks asked.

Sam shivered. "We don't talk about that."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Garrett watched as a small, old woman entered the room. "Are you another cop?" he asked skeptically.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm just a cop, Mr. Beal," Hetty said as she sat across from the man. "I'm your motivation. See, I'm informed you're quite afraid of someone or something. I see only one solution to that. Make you more afraid of something else," Hetty said.

"And that would be you? Who are you?" Garrett asked.

"My name is Henrietta Lange. Shall you tell me yours?" she asked.

Garrett's eyes darkened. He knew exactly who this woman was. She was supposed to save his family and failed. "I know who you are. You're the reason my family's dead."


	5. Chapter 5

Callen, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, and Eric all had similar looks of shock on their faces. None of them thought that Eric's father would know Hetty or that he'd accuse her of getting someone killed.

"I can't believe it. My dad knows Hetty," Eric said in shock. What was the likelihood of that? That his father would know Hetty without him introducing them.

"This dude seems to know everyone," Deeks said.

"I don't think he knows her personally. I think he just knows of her," Kensi said.

"What did he mean by saying she got his family killed?" Sam asked.

"He must be taking about his first wife and children," Eric said.

"How'd they die?" Callen asked.

"I don't really know. All I know is that they were murdered. My father doesn't talk about them much. I only know they existed because I found a picture one day. All he would tell me was that they were murdered before I was born," Eric said.

"Well, however they died, your dad seems to blame Hetty for it," Kensi said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Hetty wasn't surprised very often. She prided herself with knowing things before nearly everyone else did. Her coworkers would even say that it was abnormal how she knew so much without actually being told. But she was completely floored by Garrett Beal's accusation. She'd never met this man before as far as she knew, yet he was accusing her of causing the deaths of members of his family.

Hetty got over her shock as quick as she could and looked at Garrett with a blank expression on his face. "So you know me, Mr. Beal? Well, then isn't it fair that I know who you are as well?"

Garrett glared at her. "Fair? My family is dead because of you. I don't see anything fair about that."

Hetty showed no emotion whatsoever on the outside, but inwardly, she wondered who he was talking about. Who was she supposed to have gotten killed? "That's a serious accusation, Mr. Beal. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to who you are talking about."

Garrett raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you get more than one family killed?"

Hetty did not reply or show any response at all. She had a feeling Mr. Beal was not done speaking.

"Of course you wouldn't remember them. After all, they didn't matter to you. You probably thought about them for about a minute before going back to your life as if they never existed. Well, I thought about them. I've thought about them every day for the last thirty-seven years. I think about my wife's laugh, my daughter's smile, my little boy's face. Did you know he was only five? He didn't even get the chance to really experience life before it was taken away from him. The only thing I thank God for is that he was too young to understand death, so he probably didn't know what was happening to him."

Hetty barely managed to keep herself from flinching. This was reminding her way too much of Callen and his family, especially when Mr. Beal spoke of his son. Callen was the same age when his life was ripped away from him. He didn't die, but he lost everything, including his identity. And Hetty did feel responsible for that. She hadn't made it in time to save the Callen family. She would never forgive herself for that. "I assure you, sir, if I am truly to blame for their deaths, I didn't forget. So why don't you tell me who they are?"

"Because I won't lose another son," Garrett said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"This is about me. He did all this to protect me," Eric realized as he observed the interrogation.

"It makes sense. You did say your dad was protective," Kensi said.

"I need to talk to him. Now that I know it's about me, I can get him to talk," Eric said.

Callen pressed on his ear piece to contact Hetty. "Hetty, Eric wants to come in. He thinks he can get his father to tell us everything. I think we should give him a shot."

"There's someone who'd like to speak with you," they all heard Hetty say through the monitors.

Eric got up immediately and headed down the hall and into the interrogation room.

Garrett was more than a little surprised to see his son. "Eric, what are you doing here? Did she bring you in here? Are you trying to get everyone in my family killed, lady?"

"Dad, stop. I've been here the whole time. I work with Hetty and the two cops that brought you in," Eric said.

"What? You're a computer programmer."

Eric shook his head. "No, I just told you that. I'm a technical operator for NCIS."

"You lied to me?" Garrett asked in shock and a bit of anger.

"With all due respect, you've been lying to me my whole life. My last name isn't even what it was supposed to be," Eric said.

"I was trying to protect you," Garrett said.

"I don't need to be protected, Dad. I need the truth! I need to know who you are. Who we are," Eric said.

"It doesn't matter. All that you need to know is that you are my son, and I will not lose another one," Garrett said firmly. Honestly, he couldn't say for sure that Eric would even be in danger, as he had no real connection to the whole thing, aside from being his son. He knew that he was wanted dead just for association, so it stood to reason they'd go after Eric too. Either way, he wouldn't take the risk.

Eric sighed and sat down next to Hetty. "I'm sorry about your other family, Dad. I'm sorry you lost your kids. But they were young. They couldn't protect themselves. I can. Just tell me and I'll protect myself."

Garrett shook his head. "You have no idea what they're capable of. I won't risk you."

"You're risking me by not telling me. If I don't know what the threat is, how can I possibly defend myself? If we were able to find out you were lying, these people will too. They could find out who you are and come after us. I need to know the truth so I can use it to my advantage. Please," Eric begged.

Garrett didn't respond. He just turned away.

"I'm going to find out one way or another. I'm good at what I do and so are the people I work with. We don't need you to find out the truth. I'd prefer it though. I'd rather hear it from you," Eric said.

Things were quiet for several moments as Garrett tried to figure out what to do and Eric waited for his father to make a decision. Finally after what seemed like forever, Garrett spoke. "Okay, son. I'll tell you what you need to know to survive. I won't give you my name though. No one can ever know that."

"Okay," Eric said. That didn't exactly make him happy, but he'd take it.

"It started long before you were born and long before I met your mother. Honestly, I don't really understand the whole thing myself. All I really know is that my wife's family had this long running feud with another family. A very dangerous family. There was an incident with her grandfather that ended in the deaths of several members of this other family. I won't tell you their name either because that would be dangerous. Anyway, they swore vengeance on my wife's entire family. They killed her father and wanted to kill the rest of them too. Eventually, they got their wish," Garrett said sadly.

"This was a blood feud?" Hetty asked. She was starting to get a very bad feeling about this. She would have to be a fool not to see the similarities, and Henrietta Lange was no fool.

Garrett ignored her. "My wife managed to stay safe for a while, but she wanted to go back. She wanted to see the place she grew up and she wanted me and our children to see it to."

"Back where? Where was she from?" Eric asked.

"Romania."

"Did you just say Romania?" Hetty asked.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Did he just say Romania?" Callen asked in shock. His hands were beginning to shake. He'd been listening very intently to the conversation and it was all sounding way too familiar. It sounded a lot like Eric's father was talking about his mother and him and his sister.

"Calm down, G. Don't jump to conclusions," Sam said. He doubted his friend would be able to heed his warning though. In fact, he had a feeling the man was going to get worse before better.

"_What was the name, Dad? What was your wife's name?" _They all heard Eric asked.

"_I told you I won't give names. It's too dangerous,"_ Garret was saying.

"_No, you have to tell me. I need to know!" _ It was clear to everyone from Eric's voice that he was seeing the similarities as well.

"_I'm not budging on this son. I won't say her name."_

"The hell you won't!" Callen growled before storming off towards the interrogation room, completely ignoring Sam's yells for him to come back. He burst into the interrogation room and grabbed Garrett. He had him out of his chair and against the wall within seconds. "Answer his question! What's her name?"

Eric was by their side in seconds. "Callen, let him go!"

Garrett looked at his in shock. "What did you say? What did you call him?"

"Callen pulled him back and slammed him again. "Say her name!"

Garrett looked at the man in front of him like he was seeing him for the first time. He didn't notice it until name, but the younger man looked a lot like Eric. More than that though, he looked like the little boy he lost. They had the same big blue eyes. The only difference was that instead of wonder and joy, his were filled with anger. Still there was no doubt about it. Eric had called him 'Callen'. It was too much to be a coincidence. And if Garrett did have any doubt, he would remember that the younger man's name started with a 'G'. Somehow, someway, this was his boy.

After what must have been an eternity, Garrett finally found his voice. But he only uttered one word. "Geoffrey."


	6. Chapter 6

Callen slowly let go of Garrett and stepped back in shock. "W…What do you call me?"

"Geoffrey. That's your name, right?" Garrett asked.

Callen didn't answer. He didn't even really hear the question. He kept replaying the name over and over again in his head. Geoffrey. He'd spent his entire life, well, the parts of it he could remember anyway, wondering what his name was. He would spend hours as a boy writing down 'G' names in hopes that it would jog his memory. It never worked. He could never quite grasp it. He couldn't stop himself from trying though. He'd spent decades trying to find out who he was. And in one instant it was all over. One word from one person and the lifelong mystery was solved.

Geoffrey. He was Geoffrey. He was Garrett's son. He was Eric's brother. That thought immediately threw him. He was Eric's brother. All this time, he'd been looking for family and it was right under his nose the entire time. He was around family every day. He had a brother that he saw every day. They just didn't know it.

"Mr. Callen, are you alright?" Hetty asked carefully.

Callen didn't know how to answer that question. He didn't know what he was. He didn't know what to feel, except shock. He'd always wanted to find his family, but he never actually thought he would. He'd figured that all he would ever find was graves. That assumption seemed to be solidified when he learned what happened to his mother. Yet, here was his father right and front of him. If Garrett was telling the truth anyway. And Callen didn't think he was lying. Still, he needed to hear him say it.

"S…say her name," Callen repeated his and Eric's original question. This time there was no anger in his voice though. All there was was desperation.

"Clara Callen," Garrett said. He hadn't needed clarification to know what the younger man wanted to know.

And there it was. The confirmation Callen had been waiting for. The confirmation that this man was indeed his father. While most would think that would be a dream come true, it was overwhelming Callen more than anything ever had. He never thought this would actually happen. He certainly had no inkling that it would happen today. Now that it was, he felt like the walls were closing in on him and he had the burning desire to flee.

"Callen," Eric called. He was so shocked by what was happening that he didn't know what to think or feel. All he knew was that his friend… his brother looked seriously stricken and he wanted to help him.

Callen backed up towards the door. "I…I can't. I just…" He didn't finish his sentence. He just bolted out the door.

Both Garrett and Eric started after him. "Son, no," Garrett said.

"Callen, wait," Eric said at the same time. He was the first to make it to the main room after Callen and he was immediately stopped by Sam.

"No, let him go man. He'll be back. He just needs to think," Sam said

"Sam, he's my…"

"I know. This is all really confusing and really sudden. That's why he had to get out of here. Just give him some time, okay? And take it yourself too," Sam suggested. He couldn't even imagine what Eric or G were thinking, but it had to be really overwhelming, debilitatingly so, which was probably why G bolted. He needed some air to try to figure things out.

Garret made it over at that point and tried to get by Sam. "Get out of my way. I'm going after my son."

Sam stopped him easily. "Your son has barely had two minutes to digest the fact that that's what he is. He needs time for it to sink in."

"You don't understand. It's dangerous out there for any Callen," Garrett said. He didn't really know how his son had survived Romania, but he wasn't going to risk losing him now. His boy was alive and he wanted to make sure he stayed that way."

"The Comescu family is dead, Mr. Beal," Hetty said from behind him.

Garrett turned back to her. "What?"

"Yes. The last member was killed less than a year ago. Your family is safe," Hetty assured him.

Garrett let out a breath. He never thought he'd hear those words. It was all over. He no longer had to worry for Eric, and now Geoffrey. They were safe.

Eric turned to his father. "We need to talk," he said before pulling his father back into the interrogation room. Once they were inside, he shut off the camera. There was no reason to have it on anymore. This was no longer a criminal matter. It was personal, and there was no need for the team to hear what they were saying.

Eric went to sit down once more and motioned for his dad to do the same, which he did. "Okay, this is so confusing to me. I've known Callen for years. I never had the first inkling that he was my brother."

"I wish you had told me about him. If you'd told me about him, told me his name, I would've figured it out," Garrett said. It wasn't a criticism. He was just thinking out loud, wondering what would've happened if things had been different.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me the name of my brother? If you had, I would've known who he was just seconds after meeting him," Eric said. He couldn't believe his own brother was right under his nose the entire time and he didn't even know it.

"I couldn't tell you, Eric. It would put you in too much danger," Garrett said.

"But why? I'm not a Callen. Yes, I'm related to them, but I don't have the blood of a Callen. Why would the Comescu family even care about me?" Eric asked

"Well, they were perfectly willing to kill me just for association. I couldn't take the chance that they'd do the same to you. You were a Callen's younger brother. I couldn't risk it," Garrett said.

"I don't understand this. Why did you think Callen was dead? Why did you leave them in Romania?" Eric asked. He needed to know that last one most of all and he knew Callen would want the answer too.

Garrett sighed. "I know you want answers, son, but I think this is a conversation Geoffrey should be a part of too. We should wait for him. God, I should've gone after him."

"Geoffrey. It's unbelievable. All this time of wondering what his name was," Eric mused out loud.

"What do you mean? He didn't know?" Garrett asked.

Eric shook his head. "He couldn't remember. All he knew was that his name started with a 'G'. That's why most people call him 'Callen'. Sam's really the only one of us that doesn't most of the time."

"So that's what he meant when he said it was complicated," Garrett realized.

Eric snorted. "I don't think anyone knew just how complicated. God, I can't believe this is happening. When he said he recognized you, I never thought this is what would come out of it."

"He remembers me?" Garrett asked hopeful.

"Sort of. He felt like he knew you, but he couldn't place where. Man, this is so weird. A guy I've worked with for years has just been revealed to be my brother," Eric said. He was beginning to see why Callen fled. This was all just so overwhelming. He was feeling it too. He was feeling the need to escape. "You know what, I need to get some air.

"Eric, wait. Don't you run out too," Garrett said as he watched his son stand up.

"Dad, I'll be back. I just need to think," He said before standing up and heading for the door. He stopped at the last second and turned around. "Callen will be back too, Dad. He will."

Garrett nodded and watched his son leave the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Nell walked into Ops. and found Eric sitting in front of the big screen playing a video game. "Hey. How long have you been here?"

"Like twenty minutes," Eric said. It had been about an hour since he'd left the boatshed. He went for a walk to clear his head and then went back to Ops. and started doing this. Playing video games always seemed to help him relax and forget about his problems.

"I see. Interrogation over?" Nell asked. The last she knew, they had all been at the boat shed interrogating Eric's father.

"More like put on hold," Eric said without even looking at her.

Nell looked at her friend and colleague. She could tell that something big must have gone down with his father. He didn't put this much focus into a game unless he was really stressed. Not to mention that he was risking his life by doing because if Hetty found out, she would kill him. "It didn't go well, did it?"

"That depends on your perspective I suppose," Eric said.

"What do you mean?" Nell asked.

"I have an older brother. Of course I always knew I had a brother, I just thought he was dead. And not somebody I worked with," Eric said as he continued to play his game.

"What?" Nell asked in confusion.

Eric sighed and finally paused his game. "It seems Callen was right. He kept saying he knew my father from somewhere. He was right. He knew my father because he was his father too."

Nell gaped in shock. "Callen's your…"

"Yeah. He's my brother. I knew for years that he existed, but like I said, I thought he was dead. My dad thought he was dead too," Eric said.

"And all the while he was right under your nose. Wow. That's strange. All this time Callen was looking for his family and it was right there in front of him. Where is Callen?" Nell asked.

"I don't know. He fled right after it all came out. I think finding out everything he'd wanted to know all at once and without any warning kind of threw him and he had to get out of there," Eric said. He'd had to get out of there soon enough, so he could only imagine what it was doing to Callen.

"So this is why your dad changed his name?"

Eric nodded. "He was trying to protect me. He was afraid that the Comescu family would come after me because I had Callen family members, so he disappeared and changed his name to protect me."

"How did he do it? How did he manage to disappear so effortlessly? And how did he get back from Romania all those years ago?" Nell wondered.

"That was one of the first questions I asked. He doesn't want to tell me the story until he can tell Callen too. Or should I say until he can tell Geoffrey?"

"Geoffrey? Is that Callen's name?" Nell asked. That would be strange. Ever since she'd known him, he'd always been 'G Callen'. It would be weird to think of him by any other name.

"Well, that's what my dad calls him, so I'd say so," Eric said.

"Are you okay, Eric? I mean, I know this is a lot for Callen to take in, but it's also got to be a lot for you," Nell said.

"I don't know what I am, Nell. I didn't expect this. I didn't expect most of what happened today. I didn't expect to find out that my dad had been lying to me my whole life. I didn't expect to find out that the brother I never knew was actually someone I did know quite well. It's just so…"

"Overwhelming?" Nell supplied for him.

"Yeah," Eric said quietly.

"Maybe you should talk to Callen," Nell said.

Eric sighed. "I don't even know if Callen wants to talk to me. I don't know what Callen's thinking."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Callen walked into the squad room of NCIS. He wasn't even sure how he got there. He had just been walking. Walking and trying to get things clear in his head. And then somehow he ended up back at the office.

Callen sat on the couch by his desk and put his head in his hands. This was all so overwhelming. He'd just met his father. That wasn't something he thought would ever happen. After everything he'd learned about his family and what happened to them, he'd assumed the man was dead. Probably the same way Garrett had assumed he was dead.

Callen soon heard footsteps approach him. He didn't need to look up to know who it was. He knew her well, including the way she walked. So it didn't surprise him when he heard Hetty's voice.

"Good to see you've come back, Mr. Callen," Hetty said.

"Did you know?" Callen asked. She didn't seem like she knew while she was talking to Garrett, but you never knew with Hetty. She was good at hiding things that she knew.

"No, Mr. Callen. I told you, I never knew who your father was," Hetty said.

Callen nodded. "Just needed to hear you say it. He doesn't seem very fond of you."

"Yes, well, I wouldn't be if I were him either," Hetty said. She didn't blame Garrett Beal for his resentment. She was supposed to protect his family and she failed.

Callen finally looked at her. "It's not your fault Hetty. You did everything you could." He'd never blamed Hetty for not being able to save his mother. About the only thing he blamed her for was not being honest with him about what she knew.

"That's a matter of opinion, Mr. Callen. However, it's not one that needs to be discussed now. You've spent your entire life looking for answers. You finally have someone who can give them to you," Hetty told him.

"Where is he now?" Callen asked. He could only assume that Garrett was no longer at the boatshed. There was really no reason to hold him any longer.

"Mr. Deeks and Miss Blye escorted your father back to Eric's," Hetty told him.

Callen flinched slightly at the term 'father'. "Where is Eric?"

"Your brother is in the Operation Center playing one of those games of his," Hetty said.

Callen couldn't help but chuckle a little. "And he's still alive?"

"Everyone gets one reprieve, Mr. Callen. When you see him, inform your brother that this is his," Hetty said before walking away.

Callen took a deep breath and then stood up. He walked up the stairs to the Ops. Center and found Eric in front of the big screen with his video games. Nell was working nearby on something.

Nell looked up when she felt another presence. She immediately saw that it was Callen. "Are you okay?"

"You gotta stop asking me that, Nell," Eric said without even looking away from the screen.

"Deflate that big head of yours. She's talking to me," Callen told Eric.

Eric had the game stopped and was out of his chair and facing Callen in seconds. "Hi."

"Hey. Let's go for a ride. I think we both have questions we need answers to," Callen said.

"Okay. Yeah, sure," Eric said before going over to Callen.

"By the way, Hetty wanted me to tell you that this is your one reprieve from her killing you for the video games," Callen said as they walked out of Ops.


	8. Chapter 8

Kensi and Deeks sat at Eric's kitchen table with Garrett. Hetty had asked them to stay with him, so he didn't go after Callen or Eric. She felt they should have the time they needed to figure things out.

"So how long have you two known my son? My sons?" Garrett corrected.

"Well, it's been about four and a half years for me. Longer for her," Deeks said.

"Will you tell me about them? It's clear I don't really know either one of them," Garrett said. Despite raising Eric and even speaking to him regularly, he didn't know anything about his life. He thought his son worked for a computer company. Instead, he worked for a government agency.

"Mr.…" Kensi trailed off as she tried to figure out what to Call Garrett. She couldn't call him 'Mr. Beal' since that wasn't who he actually was. She didn't know who he really was.

"Garrett. Just call me Garrett," he said.

"Garrett. Eric was trying to protect you. He knew how important it was to you that he'd be safe and he was afraid it would upset you to know the truth about his work," Kensi explained.

"He was right. I would've been upset. Especially if I found out exactly who he was working for," Garrett said. If he had known his son was working for that woman, he would've done anything in his power to stop it.

"Hetty's a good woman, albeit a bit scary. She would never have let anything happen to Eric," Deeks said.

"With all due respect, son, I've heard that before," Garrett said. He remembered Clara telling him that. She said that the woman would come and get them back home safely. It never happened. If Henrietta Lange came, it was too late.

Soon they heard the door open. They all rushed out and soon heard Eric's voice.

"I didn't even think she saw me playing them," Eric said.

"She's Hetty. She sees and hears everything," Callen said.

"Right," Eric said before turning around to see Deeks and Kensi with his father. "Hey, guys."

"Hey. You guys okay?" Kensi asked.

"Do us a favor guys?" Callen asked.

"Say no more. We're gone," Kensi said, already anticipating what he wanted. She and Deeks then quickly left.

There was an awkward silence between the three men for a few moments before Garrett spoke. "I'm glad you guys came back."

"Well, I do live here," Eric said in order to break the ice. After a minute though, he got serious. "We need answers, Dad."

"I know. Maybe we should sit down. This could take a while," Garrett said.

Eric nodded and walked over to the couch and sat down.

Callen joined him while Garrett sat on the loveseat near them. "So go ahead. Ask me anything."

"What's your real name?" Eric asked.

"Garrett Bailey," he said.

A look of recognition crossed Callen's face. "Bailey? I've heard of you. You worked for the CIA."

"Yes. That's where I met your mother. We worked together on occasion and things just blossomed from there. We didn't tell anybody of course. That would've just caused problems that we didn't need," Garrett explained.

"So you weren't married?" Eric asked.

"Not until we were in Romania without a way out," Garrett answered.

"You lied about why you went to Romania," Callen said. It was not a question. Garrett had said that he'd gone there because his wife wanted to show him where she grew up. That was a lie.

"Yes. I was worried about the possible danger and I didn't want that. I figured if I put a couple of holes in the story, it would create some discrepancies. They wouldn't be able to trace any connection from him to the Callen family," Garrett explained.

"Why were you in Romania then?" Eric wondered.

"My mother was on assignment," Callen said.

Garrett nodded. "Yeah. How ironic is that? Anyway, I decided to go with her. I took some personal time so that I could go with her and we could be together without secret."

"Why did she go? Why didn't she tell them no? Tell them she couldn't?" Callen asked. She should've just told them no. If she had, he wouldn't have spent his entire life without any feeling.

"Because she didn't know then. We didn't find out about the feud until about a year after we arrived and the Comescu family discovered her presence. By then, we couldn't get out. They made sure any means of leaving the country were blocked to us," Garrett told him.

"But you did get out," Eric pointed out

"Yeah, explain that. How did you get out? And why the hell did you leave us there?" Callen asked angrily.

"I didn't get out until years later when Clara was already dead. See there was a plan. Clara had contacted her handler with the CIA," Garrett said.

"Hetty," Callen said.

"Yes. But she didn't show up."

"She did. She just didn't show up in time," Callen said.

"I guess it doesn't really matter. I was supposed to meet you all on the beach and we were gonna get away with Ms. Lange. But instead when I got there, I found my wife dead and my children nowhere to be found," Garrett said sadly.

"Oh, God, Dad," Eric said with sympathy. He could only imagine how awful that had to be for his father.

"So they took me and Amy off the beach. I don't get it. Why didn't they just kill us then?" Callen asked.

"I thought they had killed you, son. Maybe it was above them to murder innocent children. I don't know. All I know is that you were gone when I got there," Garrett said.

"And you just assumed we were dead too? Didn't it ever occur to you that they would've left us on the beach too?" Callen asked a bit heatedly.

"Honestly, Geoffrey, I didn't think about it much. I wasn't thinking clearly then. My family was gone. And after I could, I did my best not to think about it because it was too painful," Garrett said.

"You still haven't said how you got out," Eric reminded him.

"I waited them out. I laid low for about a year. I figured I was less important to them since I wasn't a blood family member, so they'd care a little less about me. Thankfully it worked and I returned to the US a year later. Once I did that, I contacted a couple of old friends who helped me disappear. Garrett Bailey ceased to exist and Garrett Beal was born," Garrett explained.

"Did Mom know?" Eric asked.

"No. No one knew. It was safer that way," Garrett said.

"Okay, I've gotta get out of here," Callen said before standing up.

"Geoffrey, wait," Garrett said before standing up as well.

"No! I've had enough for one day. I'm getting out of here," Callen said before walking out the door without giving Garrett or Eric the chance to respond.


	9. Chapter 9

Callen made his way to his house to see Sam waiting for him in the driveway leaned up against his car. Callen quickly parked and got up. He walked right past Sam. "I don't wanna talk, Sam."

Sam followed him into the house and closed the door behind him.

Callen sighed as he threw his keys on the table by the entryway. He then headed for the kitchen. "What part of 'I don't want to talk' don't you understand?"

"Who said we had to talk. I just figured you could use a drink," Sam said as he held up a six pack of beer.

Sam looked at for a minute and then took it. He took out two beers and handed one to Sam before opening his and taking a sip. "So how long have you been waiting here?"

"Showed up right after Hetty told me you and Eric were heading to his place. I figured after that conversation, you'd need a drink and maybe someone to talk to," Sam said.

"Oh, I'm talked out," Callen said before sipping his bear again.

"I take it you didn't exactly like whatever you heard," Sam said.

Callen sighed and stared down at his beer. "He didn't even look for us, Sam. He found my mother dead on that beach and then just gave me and my sister up for dead. He didn't even try to find us. We could've been being tortured for all he knew."

"You weren't," Sam said.

"No, but he didn't know that. He didn't know anything except that weren't on that beach. How could he just assume that we were dead without even trying to find us?" Callen asked.

"Do you want me to answer or do you just want to vent?" Sam asked seriously. His partner might be at the point right now where he didn't want a real answer. Sometimes you just wanted to be angry.

"Oh, please, answer. I've been trying to come up with a logical reason for why he'd leave his children since I left Eric's and I've come up empty. If you can succeed where I failed, by all means," Callen said.

"Your dad didn't leave you G. He thought you were dead," Sam said. While he didn't really agree with what Garrett did, or didn't do as the case was, he could understand a guy like him. He didn't just decide to abandon his family. He thought they were gone and he had good reason to believe that. He still should've looked, but Sam could see why the man would think there was no reason to.

"But why? There was no body. There was no reason to believe I was dead," Callen argued.

"You mean other than the fact that your mom was dead and you and your sister where with her when the Comescu's attacked?" Sam asked.

"If they were going to kill us, they would've left us on that beach dead too," Callen reasoned.

"Yeah, probably," Sam agreed. "But when you find your wife dead and your kids missing, you don't think so clearly."

"Come on, Sam. You can't tell me that if you were in that position, you wouldn't look for your kids. That you wouldn't do whatever it took to find them, dead or alive," Callen said.

"You're right, I can't," Sam said. If God forbid his wife was murdered and his kids were taken, he would move Heaven and Earth to find out what happened to them. Nothing and no one would stop him. "Your old man should've looked for you. I can't honestly sit here and tell you he was right for not doing so. But he's not some deadbeat either. He didn't walk out on you one day just because he didn't want the responsibility anymore. He thought you were dead. And whether he was right or wrong, that's what he thought."

"He still left me though, Sam. If he had looked hard enough, he would've found me. It wasn't like I was being hidden or anything. He could've found me. And if he had, maybe Amy would still be alive," Callen said. Every time he thought about it all, it made him so angry. His life and the life of his sister could've been so much better if their father had just made an effort to find them. Hell, even Eric's life might have been better.

"You know better than to play that game, G. That's like saying things might've been different if your folks hadn't gone back to Romania or things might have been better if Hetty had made it a day earlier. Thinking about what could've been isn't gonna help you, man. Things happened the way they happened," Sam said.

Callen sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. "I know. I know I can't change it. I was just hoping there would be some explanation that I could live with."

"And you can't live with this one? Well, if you can't, that's understandable. Like I said, I agree that he should've looked. But it wasn't like he didn't want you. Your father loves you, G," Sam said.

"How do you know? You've met him exactly once," Callen said.

"Because I saw the look on his face when he spoke about you. I heard the pain in his voice when he spoke about you being 'killed' and I saw the look on his face when he realized who you were. No man could fake that kind of emotion. He loves you. And I bet you anything, he's kicking himself for not looking for you. He knows what his misconceptions have cost him. As a father myself, I guarantee you, he's punishing himself more than you ever could," Sam said. He knew that was what he would do if he were Garrett. He truly believed he'd look for his kids if he were Garrett, but if he didn't and found out they were alive and well years later, he would hate himself for it, just as he was sure Garrett hated himself.

Callen looked away. He didn't know what to say there.

"Just think about it, man. I'm not saying forgive him or go have tea. Just think about it. You've waited all your life for your family. Now you have it. I'd hate to see you throw it away now," Sam said before walking away, leaving Callen to his thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

Callen made it into the office just before nine the next morning. Needless to say, he was not in the best mood. He'd barely gotten any sleep the night before. He didn't sleep a lot regularly, but last night he barely even got a wink. He was too overwhelmed, angry, and hurt by everything he'd learned. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He tried to think about what it was like for Garrett like Sam suggested, but he just kept coming back to the fact that his own father had pretty much given up on him. He just couldn't get past that.

"Morning, Callen," Kensi said hesitantly when she saw him come in.

"Hey, man," Deeks said.

"Okay, knock it off. I'm fine," Callen told them. He didn't want to deal with his teammates being careful with him on top of everything else. He just wanted things to get back to as normal as possible.

"Are you sure?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah," Callen said before sitting next to her.

"Okay," Deeks said before they all got back to what they were doing before he showed up.

"So, uh, has anyone seen Eric?" Callen asked. He felt bad about running out on Eric the way he did. He should've at least talked to him and let him know that while he was angry at Garrett, he didn't blame Eric in any way.

Hetty came out of her office just as Callen asked about Eric. "Mr. Beal will not be in today. Extremely coincidently, he seems to have developed the flu.

Callen sighed and stood up. "Well, if he's got the flue, I think it's my job as the senior agent to see how he's doing."

"Please do, Mr. Callen. And tell him this will be a twenty-four flu or I will be coming after him. I'm sure you can impress upon him why that would not be in his best interests," Hetty said.

Callen chuckled and walked away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty minutes later, Callen found himself knocking on Eric's door. Much to his dismay, it was opened seconds later by Garrett. He immediately stiffened. "Where's Eric?"

"Geoffrey, hi. I'm glad you came back," Garrett said without answering his son's question. Honestly, he didn't even hear it. He was too surprised and happy to see that his oldest son had come back.

"I'm not here for you. I'm here for Eric," Callen said tightly.

Just then, Eric came into view. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was at the door. "Callen."

Callen grinned at the younger man. "So this is what you look like with the flu, huh? I wish I looked that healthy with the flu."

Eric blushed a little. "Okay, I'm not sick. I don't think anyone really believed I was in the first place."

"You got that right. Hetty said it better be a twenty-four hour flu or else. Come on, let's go for a walk," Callen said. He wanted to talk to Eric and he didn't want to do it with Garrett in the room.

"Um, okay," Eric said reluctantly. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Callen. He just wasn't sure what to say. The situation was just so complicated. That was why he'd faked illness. He wanted to avoid the awkwardness. Apparently Callen had other plans.

Callen walked away without even giving Garrett a second glance. Eric quickly followed.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few minutes later, Callen and Eric were walking down the street at a gingerly pace. "I'm sorry I ran out on you last night. I just couldn't take any more," Callen said.

"It's okay," Eric said.

"No, it's not. I left you hanging. You probably didn't know what to think about me or where we stood," Callen said. That was a mistake and he knew that now. If he didn't know it before he got to NCIS, he definitely knew it when he found out Eric called out. He had done that to avoid Callen and the rejection he probably thought he would hand him.

"Really, it's fine. Yesterday was… complicated," Eric said.

Callen chuckled. "Well, that's one word for it. But it's no more complicated for me than it is for you."

"Well, that's not completely true. I knew some things. I always knew you existed. Or that someone who was my brother once existed. I knew it since I was young. I always wondered about you. About what it would've been like to know you," Eric said before chuckling a little. "It turns out I already did."

"Still, it can't be that much easier for you. Hell, maybe it's even harder. I spent my entire life knowing there were a lot of things about my past. You, however… You thought you knew who you were and who your family was. I think in certain ways that has to be worse," Callen said. Eric had been bombarded even worse than he had been in certain ways. Neither of them had seen this coming, but Eric even less so because he thought he knew everything he needed to know.

Eric shook his head in disbelief. "My father was an architect. An Architect! He was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He was Garrett Beal. Except he wasn't. It was all a lie, and in turn, that makes who I am a lie. How can I be Eric Beal when the person who gave me my name doesn't really exist?"

"Yeah. A bit much to take in, huh?" Callen asked.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't make this about me. I had my father. That's more than you can say. God, you must hate me," Eric said. He wouldn't blame Callen for hating me. As far as Callen was concerned, Eric had the life he should've had.

Callen stopped walking and stood in front of Eric, so they were eye to eye. "I don't hate you. Your my brother. I could never hate you."

"You hate him," Eric said.

Callen sighed. "I don't know what I feel for him, except anger for not looking for me and Amy. But that's not your fault. It's his. He's where I lay the blame."

"Still, you must feel like I've somehow taken your life, or at least the life you would've had," Eric said.

"I don't know what life I would've had if things had been different, but I do know that I in no way wish you didn't exist. You're my brother. You were my brother long before I knew there was any blood involved," Callen told him.

"Really?" Eric asked slightly surprised.

Callen gave him a look that said, 'Duh'. "Come on, you didn't already know that? You and I have known each other a long time. You, me, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Hetty, we're as close to a family as a team can get. Blood just makes it official. I don't hate you. I don't blame you for anything. It's not like you can be held responsible for something that happened before you were even born."

"Thanks. Just so you know, I told him he was wrong for not going to look for you. Not that I needed to. He already knew that," Eric said. His father had looked really guilty when he said that. He knew very well that he'd failed Callen.

Callen nodded. "Come on. Let's get coffee."

Eric nodded and followed his brother once more.


	11. Chapter 11

A few days later, Callen decided to go visit his sister's grave. With all this family stuff going on, he felt the need to see her. He thought about asking Eric to come, but he thought maybe that would be little overwhelming with everything else they were both dealing with. He'd take him another time.

When Callen got to the gravesite, he saw Garrett there placing flowers on the grave. He couldn't help but feel anger build up. A large part of him felt like Garrett didn't deserve to be there. He'd as much as abandoned them and subsequently caused Amy's death in the first place.

Garrett stood up and turned around to see his oldest son standing behind him. "Oh, hi, son."

"Why are you here? How'd you even know?" Callen asked.

"Eric told me what happened. I felt I had to come and see Amy. To say goodbye. I didn't get that opportunity before," Garrett said sadly.

"That's because she wasn't dead," Callen said through gritted teeth.

"I didn't know that," Garrett sad.

"Because you didn't care enough to find out," Callen said.

Garrett sighed. "Look, Geoffrey, if you wanna be angry at me for not looking for you, that's fine. It's no less than I deserve. But don't think I didn't care. It wasn't about not caring."

"Well, I don't know what else to call it. You were a CIA agent for God's sake. You were trained not to assume or take anything for granted," Callen said.

"As an agent yes, but as a father…"

"As a father, it was all that much more important!" Callen yelled.

"I know that," Garrett said. There was nothing he regretted more than not looking for his children. If he had, his daughter probably wouldn't have reached the fate she did and Geoffrey would've grown up knowing he was.

"You didn't even try to look for us. You just gave us up like we were garbage," Callen said. He was starting to get really emotional and he knew his words were now sounding more hurt than angry.

"It wasn't' like that. I didn't want to give up. I wanted to hope. I just didn't' know how. They left your mother dead on the beach like it was nothing. It was a cold and callous act. I couldn't imagine someone capable of something so evil leaving the two of you alive," Garrett explained. He knew it was still wrong for him not to look, but at the time, he was really sure there was nothing to look for.

Callen could sort of understand that at least. Alexa Comescu had said that it was a mistake to keep him alive, probably meaning that he would've been killed that day had it been up to her. It still didn't take the anger away though. Even if it was a logical assumption, Garrett should've looked. Parents are supposed to fight to the last second for their children. Even if there seems to be no hope, they were supposed to try. "Do you know what happened to me after I made it back here?"

Garrett shook his head. "I asked Eric, but he wouldn't tell me. He said it was up to you to do it."

"When I first got here, I was put into a group home. I was alone. I didn't even have her," Callen said as he glanced towards Amy's grave.

Garrett looked down sadly.

"I managed to get out of the group home and into foster homes thanks to Hetty. Not that that was much better. I'd been in more foster homes than I'd been alive by the time I was eighteen," Callen said. Once again, his emotions were betraying him. He wanted to hold onto anger, but instead hurt was the dominant emotion he was feeling.

"Oh my God," Garrett whispered guiltily. What had he done? His son had been in agony, all because he didn't make sure there was no possibility he was alive.

Callen went on as though the man never spoke. "Some homes were decent, mot weren't. I was in hell. I didn't even know my own name until you said it at the boatshed. And where was my father all this time. Not dead like I assumed, but never actually gave up on. No, he was living under a new name with a new family." He meant what he said to Eric. He didn't resent Eric for existing or for having a good life. But that didn't mean he didn't resent Garrett for moving on without him.

"Geoffrey, I…I don't even know what to say here. I'm so sorry. I never wanted this. I wanted you to have a good life. The day you were born, I swore that I would always be there for you and I'd make sure you were safe and loved," Garrett said.

"But you didn't," Callen pointed out.

"I know. And believe me, there's nothing I regret more than that. I'm not an idiot, Geoffrey. I know that everything that happened to you and Amy was pretty much all on me, even Amy's death. I'm gonna have to live with that for the rest of my life," Garrett said sadly. He knew he'd caused all this. If he had just looked, he probably would've been able to save his daughter's life. He almost certainly would've saved his son from the pain he'd gone through his entire life.

"So will I," Callen said quietly.

"I can't change what happened. I wish I could. All I can do now is try to make it right. If you'll let me," Garrett said.

Callen raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You really think you can make it right?"

"I can try," Garrett said.

Callen laughed humorlessly. "You'll try? Now if only you'd had that same thought when I was a child."

"You're right. I gave up and I shouldn't have. I won't make that mistake again. I know you hate me right now and I don't blame you. But I'm not going away. I'm going to fight for your forgiveness. And if you never give it to me, well, then I guess that's the price I have to pay. But I'm not going to stop trying to get it.

Callen didn't say anything. He stared at Garrett for a minute and then started walking away.

"Geoffrey, wait," Garrett called.

Callen turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

Garrett took a piece of Picture out of his wallet and handed it to his son. "I thought you might want to have this."

Callen took it and looked at it. It was a picture of him, Garrett, his mother and Amy. He was seated on Garrett's lap while his mother and Amy were huddled around them. "I… Thank you."

Garrett nodded and then began walking away.


End file.
